


Simmer Down

by pocketsfullofmice



Series: Harringdrape [2]
Category: Mad Men, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: BACK ON MY BULLSHIT, M/M, Nothing explicit, in a fandom made up of one, just flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 03:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17480474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketsfullofmice/pseuds/pocketsfullofmice
Summary: The summertime heat forces a change in Steve's dress code.





	Simmer Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brokenpromisesandhope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenpromisesandhope/gifts).



> Another fic for my dear Tea. The prompt was - 
> 
> _'You heard me. Take. It. Off.'_
> 
> See, I _am_ getting through your prompts!
> 
> And for any of y'all wondering what the hell Harringdrape is, may I direct you to [Crystal Method](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16396229).

The very first thing Don saw as he entered the office Monday morning was the pastel pink and baby blue monstrosity hanging around the kid's neck. It looked like a strip from one of Sally's old dresses when she was a toddler. It dangled from the kid's neck, carefully pinned in place. The four-in-hand knot was slightly asymmetrical, the dimple off-centre. 

Don had a sudden urge to grab him by the end of his tie and drag him into the office.

Swallowing hard, he curled his hand around the handle of his briefcase and tilted his chin towards Steve. A pair of hazel eyes fluttered up to meet his own, before Steve stumbled to his feet and a bright smile crossed his face. He was already up, a wave of nervous energy fluttering over him as he scampered to take Don's briefcase. The summer heat had hit its peak and he'd refrained from wearing his standard coat that morning.

'Would you like a coffee, sir?'

'Ice water,' Don replied curtly. The idea of coffee had him breaking a sweat. 

As he stepped into his office, noting that Steve had already kept his fan on to keep the temperature down, he went about getting ready for his long day. He had just finished unpacking his suitcase when Steve returned, a tall glass of icy water in hand. Setting it atop a coaster, he turned to leave when Don snapped his fingers. 

The tie was still hanging from around Steve's neck. Now that he could clearly see it, Don noticed that there were tiny yellow ducks in the print. Little baby ducklings, swimming in a sea of childish stripes. It was garish, it was gauche.

'Take it off.'

Steve paused. Clearly confused, he swayed back and forth on the balls of his feet. 'Pardon?'

'You heard me. Take. It. Off.'

Don nodded towards the tie. Steve's eyes dropped as he picked up the end and turned it over. It looked like some kind of poly-blend, which only made the state of it even worse. Raising his eyes up to Don, Steve tilted his chin a little. A calm, self-assured stance rolled over him, the likes of which Don had never seen. Steve had always been a nervous bundle of energy, wrapped up in too much hair a choice in clothing that Don forever questioned. 

There was a lot about Steve that he didn't understand. There was so much he wanted to ask. He was a jittery mess, a mix of hypocrisies and conflicting ideas that Don couldn't quite follow. Did Steve know this? Did he even care? Was this some strange Indiana style that hadn't quite (and hopefully never would) catch on in New York? Don wasn't sure what was the most pressing out of all of that.

Cocking his head to the side, Steve finally lifted his hand to the knot of the tie. His fingers brushed over it, scratching against the grain of the poly-blend. It seemed like he had a slight split in his nail and it dragged over the fabric. Glancing down, Steve looked it over (or, potentially, the split in his nail), and then up at Don.

'It's hideous,' Don said, his voice low and almost like gravel. 'It's not professional.'

'That's one opinion.'

'It's the only opinion that matters.'

Steve seemed to turn that thought over. His head tilted to the other side as he raised his eyes to the window behind Don. His tongue seemed to brush over his teeth. Don watched his lips were wettened, just a flash of pink between them. Slipping his hands down to his hips, he cocked one and arched his eyebrow, quietly daring Don to confront him.

'I like it.'

That caused Don's breath to catch in his throat. He could feel his heart skip a beat, for reasons he didn't want to think about too long. Taking the cold glass, he wrapped his fingers around it and felt due collect on his palm. He was still hot, his mouth utterly parched. Steve looked hot, too. There was a curl in his hair, his cheeks flushed. His short sleeves were rolled up around his forearms – another unprofessional aspect to his atire. 

'I don't. I'd like it off.'

'What if Mister Sterling complains? Or Mister Cooper?'

'I'll deal with them.'

They probably wouldn't even notice. On a day like today, they were usually off in cold, air-conditioned rooms, or lounging by pools. Don wouldn't be surprised to enter someone else's office and find them with their shirt off and them lazing in their underclothes. At some point, the beer and whisky would get brought out and people would forget just how hot it was.

'Take it off.'

'No.'

Don finally eyed the door. It was open a foot. Maybe more. 

Back to Steve.

Standing, he took a sip of the water. Some of the ice had already melted. The remaining pieces clinked and plinked against the glass. After a sip, he set it down and carefully rounded the desk. Steve didn't moved, beyond lifting his chin higher.

Taking the end of the tie in his hand, he tugged Steve closer. He took only half a step, refusing to budge any further. Very well. It was too hot to get much closer, anyway.

Don moved quickly. Unknotting the tie, he threaded the end out. He could feel Steve's eyes boring into him, his lips pursed tightly. He could feel his body heat, the soaring temperature outside almost matched for what it had to be in the office. He tried to move quickly, despite the tremble in his hands, the way Steve's steely gaze kept calling to him. All he had to do was get that ridiculous, hideous tie off him.

There was a kink in the fabric. It was poorly made, a cheap thing that might have been picked up at some novelty store. He wanted to burn it.

Dragging it out from around Steve's collar, he wrapped it around his fingers and tucked the ends in. Once it had been coiled, he grabbed Steve's wrist, turned his hand up, and deposited it in his hand. He was tempted to close the kid's fingers around it, but he managed to swallow the urge.

With that, he turned on the ball of his foot and walked back to his seat. Collapsing in it, he grabbed his glass of water in an effort for something to do, and took a thirsty gulp.

'Will there be anything else, Mister Draper?'

Don shook his head. Steve stood there for half a second more, before he, too, turned and left. The door was left open in his wake.


End file.
